I think macaroni and beef is more American than apple pie. Generations have been raised on the simple and inexpensive concept of ground beef and elbow macaroni. It’s healthy and filling and on a per serving basis relatively cheap.
There are no rules, feel free to experiment with different spices and herbs to find your own personalized recipe. The same goes for the cooking method. mix the cheese in and do it all in one pot or layer the macaroni in a baking dish cover with cheese and bake, or do both it’s up to you. Here’s my version I like to do a one pot meal (doing it all in one pot makes clean up easy),but if you like bake it.
Ingredients for Macaroni and Beef
1 1/2 -2 pounds of lean ground beef
1 pound grated cheddar cheese ÷ 2
1 pound elbow macaroni cooked al dente
2 -14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 medium onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sage
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 -3 Tbs canola oil
Directions for Macaroni and Beef
In a large pot cook the elbow macaroni. Once cooked empty, into a colander and set aside.
Add the canola oil to the pot, let it get hot the add the ground beef,onions, garlic , allspice,rosemary, cumin, and sage and brown the beef . When the beef has browned add the canned tomatoes,ketchup,and Worcestershire sauce. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Put the cooked macaroni in and stir to combine. Now add half the cheese and mix completely.
You can now serve with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese on top of each portion or put into a 9 X 13 baking pan layer the cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350° or until the mixture is hot and the cheese is melted.
In a large pot cook the elbow macaroni. Once cooked empty into colander and set aside.
Add the canola oil to the pot, let it get hot the add the ground beef,onions, garlic , allspice,rosemary, cumin, and sage and brown the beef . When the beef has browned add the canned tomatoes,ketchup,and Worcestershire sauce. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Put the cooked macaroni in and stir to combine. Now add half the cheese and mix completely.
You can now serve with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese on top of each portion or put into a 9 X 13 baking pan layer the cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350° or until the mixture is hot and the cheese is melted.
Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/
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Some say sauerbraten is the national dish of Germany. I’m not so sure about that but it is one of my favorites. “Sauerbraten” meaning pickled beef is one of a great line of recipes from Germany. This one can be cooked in either the oven or your Crock Pot. Be forewarned it’s not a quick throw together meal, the meat needs to marinade for 24 – 48 hours and cook for 4 -7 hours, depending on the method you chose and the size of the roast.
I was l lucky to have a tri-tip steak in the freezer from our last top sirloin I cut up. We were almost unpacked and ready to start a new life in our little cottage when we got a surprise house warming gift around midnight the other night. A more than slightly inebriated driver ran across our front lawn taking out our fence and knocking our lovely shade tree over onto our neighbors driveway (one way to get to meet the neighbors). So instead of a shopping trip to our new grocery store and the green grocers we had to spend the money on tree removal.
So although the cubbards are getting bare we still can manage a few interesting meals.
Marinade for Sauerbraten
This is one of those recipes that you can certainly experiment with. If you like it more sour, you can leave it to marinade for a longer period of time.
This recipe calls for the marinade to be around 24 hours and is not refrigerated. If you are going to leave it more than 48 hours it should go into the refrigerator after 24 hours.
1 qt water brought to a boil
½ – 1½ cups vinegar (depending on how sour you want to make it)
8 peppercorns
2 thick slices of lemon
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
6 juniper berries
1 onion thinly sliced
1 5-6 pound bottom round
1 clove garlic thinly sliced into slivers
Once the water is brought to a boil add all the rest of the ingredients and let the mixture steep for 10 – 15 minutes while it cools slightly.
While the marinade is cooling take the meat and piercing it with a knife insert the slivers of garlic all over the meat. Place the meat into an earthen ware jar with a lid and cover it with the sliced onions and pour the marinade over all. If the meat is not completely submerged you will have to turn it one or twice a day. Put the lid on, cover the lid tightly with aluminium foil and seal with string or a large rubber band. Let sit on the counter for 24 hours.
Ingredients for Sauerbraten
1 piece bottom round marinaded
2 -3 Tbs flour
2 Tbs fat or vegetable oil
1 onion diced
2 cups strained marinade
3 Tbs stewed tomtoes
2 tsp paprika
2 Tbs brown sugar
6 – 12 ginger snaps
1 Tbs gravy master (optional)
2 Tbs butter and flour to form a roux (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Directions for Sauerbraten*
Preheat oven to 350°
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a cloth or paper towel. Strain the liquid and reserve 2 cups.
Lightly flour all sides of the meat and in a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid add a little fat or vegetable oil and brown the meat.
Once browned remove to a plate and add the onion and cooked until softened. Once softened add the marinade, the tomato, paprika,and brown sugar and the meat and cover and put into a 350° for 3½ – 4 hours until edges of meat fall off easily.
When the meat is cooked remove it to a warm plate and cover with foil. Strain the cooking liquid into a sauce pot and add the gingersnaps and bring up to a light boil stirring until thickened.
If you feel the sauce is not thick enough use the roux. If you feel the sauce is too light in color add the gravy master. You can also add sour cream or creme fraiche for a different flavor.
Serve with Kartoffelkloesse or mashed potatoes, and red cabbage.
*This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker, follow all directions but allow at least 6 – 8 hours for the meat to cook.
Oktoberfest could become my favorite time of year, I’ll give it 5 paws.
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½ - 1½ cups vinegar (depending on how sour you want to make it)
8 peppercorns
2 thick slices of lemon
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
6 juniper berries
1 onion thinly sliced
1 5-6 pound bottom round
1 clove garlic thinly sliced into slivers
Ingredients for Sauerbraten
1 piece bottom round marinaded
2 -3 Tbs flour
2 Tbs fat or vegetable oil
1 onion diced
2 cups strained marinade
3 Tbs stewed tomtoes
2 tsp paprika
2 Tbs brown sugar
6 - 12 ginger snaps
1 Tbs gravy master (optional)
2 Tbs butter and flour to form a roux (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Instructions
Instructions for Marinade
Bring the quart of water to a boil add all the rest of the ingredients and let the mixture steep for 10 - 15 minutes while it cools slightly.
While the marinade is cooling take the meat and piercing it with a knife insert the slivers of garlic all over the meat. Place the meat into an earthen ware jar with a lid and cover it with the sliced onions and pour the marinade over all. If the meat is not completely submerged you will have to turn it one or twice a day. Put the lid on, cover the lid tightly with aluminium foil and seal with string or a large rubber band. Let sit on the counter for 24 hours.
Directions for Sauerbraten
Preheat oven to 350°
Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a cloth or paper towel. Strain the liquid and reserve 2 cups.
Lightly flour all sides of the meat and in a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid add a little fat or vegetable oil and brown the meat.
Once browned remove to a plate and add the onion and cooked until softened. Once softened add the marinade, the tomato, paprika,and brown sugar and the meat and cover and put into a 350° for 3½ - 4 hours until edges of meat fall off easily.
When the meat is cooked remove it to a warm plate and cover with foil. Strain the cooking liquid into a sauce pot and add the gingersnaps and bring up to a light boil stirring until thickened.
If you feel the sauce is not thick enough use the roux. If you feel the sauce is too light in color add the gravy master. You can also add sour cream or creme fraiche for a different flavor.
Notes
If you are going to marinade more than 48 hours refrigerate after 24 hours.
Serve with Kartoffelkloesse or mashed potatoes and red cabbage
This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker, but allow at least 6 - 8 hours for the cooking process on high.
Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/
While still on the quest to find affordable housing, we are definitely using up every thing in the freezer and pantry. So here’s a meatloaf recipe to add a little flavor to a simple dish. For years we had a recipe for meatloaf that used wheat germ in it. It was tasty but had a number of after effects, so I’ve worked a different version that’s a little less unbinding.
This one like many recipes is not written in stone. I probably would have added onions, that had been sautéed, if we had them. The amounts of ingredients are also subject to interpretation, the bread crumbs could vary quite a bit, it’s really all about cooking by “eye”. You could also vary the meat by adding ground pork or veal into the mix. Feel free to experiment.
Ingredients for Meatloaf
2 #’s ground beef fairly lean
2 eggs
¼ cup whole milk
1 Tbs garlic salt
1 Tbs pepper
3 -4 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
½ cup ketchup
3 – 6+ cups Italian style Panko bread crumbs
¼ – ½ cup BBQ Sauce
Directions for Meatloaf
Mix the beef, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup thoroughly. Begin to add the Panko bread crumbs and combine, continue until you have slightly moist not wet mixture that holds together well.
Place into a loaf pan and press to even out. Pour a layer of BBQ sauce about ¼ of an inch thick over the top. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes in a 350° oven. When done remove from oven and let sit to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Be adventurous try adding finely diced carrots, or diced green chilies, celery, diced pepper of any color, sautéed onions the list goes on.
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Mix the beef, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup thoroughly. Begin to add the Panko bread crumbs and combine, continue until you have slightly moist not wet mixture that holds together well.
Place into a loaf pan and press to even out. Pour a layer of BBQ sauce about ¼ of an inch thick over the top. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes in a 350° oven. When done remove from oven and let sit to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Notes
Be adventurous try adding finely diced carrots, or diced green chilies, celery, diced pepper of any color, sauteed onions the list goes on.
Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/
